January 23, 2013

Biden to travel to Virginia to begin selling gun control legislation

Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Richmond Friday to begin trying to solicit support for the Obama administration's proposals on gun control.

Biden, President Obama's point person on the issue, will be joined by newly elected Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and other administration officials. No other details were released about the event.

Last week, Obama proposed banning assault weapons, limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, requiring background checks on all gun purchases, penalizing those who buy guns from unlicensed dealers, hiring 1,000 more school resource officers and spending millions more on training, research and counseling.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that the president intends to travel to sell his second-term proposals, including those to reduce gun violence.

"I think you can fully expect that his commitment to engaging the American people in these important discussions about our future will continue," Carney said. "He believes that not only is it the right strategy to engage the American people, it is essential as a reflection of why he’s in this to begin with, to explain to them his vision and to listen to them about what their hopes are and the direction that they hope the country will move in."